Rebecca Dunn – Sheffield, S8 01142747484

Posts tagged ‘hypnotherapy’

As you will have seen elsewhere on my site, hypnotherapy is very much about using your unconscious mind and the strength you have there.

But sometimes it can feel as if your unconscious is working against you.
You might be keen to quit smoking, or be friends with every spider you see . But down in the back of your mind, where you may not even be aware of it, there could be a part of you that has other ideas.
Your unconscious mind has a number of roles, one of which is to keep you safe. In order to do this, it creates anxiety and fear around situations that are – or could be – dangerous. The problem is that the unconscious mind is emotional rather than logical. So it can’t always judge the level of threat correctly.
This is where the spider problem can arise. Here in the UK spiders are generally harmless, but if you had an experience in the past that associated them with bad feelings, your unconscious mind loses sight of the actual amount of risk you are in and will try to keep you away.
The closer you come the higher your anxiety gets, until it’s so bad you run away, and your unconscious mind thinks ‘Yay! Now we’re safe!’ and next time it will do the same again.
Change – even good change – can be scary, so your unconscious mind treats it like a dangerous situation. While you might have had enough of smoking, your unconscious might believe that quitting would be really difficult and stressful, or worry about how you would feel if you failed. To protect you from that, it stops you even trying, or sabotages your attempts and sends you back to the cigs.
This isn’t the only reason people struggle with change, of course, but if you find yourself stuck and unable to create any positive change in your life, this could be what’s happening.
Now imagine – what if all the strength of mind that goes into preventing you quitting was working for you instead of against you? Wouldn’t life be easier? You’d make every change effortlessly, with ease and enthusiasm. Everything could just flow. What you need to do to achieve this is to negotiate successfully with your unconscious mind.

How to negotiate successfully with your unconscious mind:
Remember your unconscious mind works with feelings, imagination and memories, not logic.
It sends its messages as physical sensations, like butterflies in your tummy when you are anxious. However, just because you’re receiving a message doesn’t mean you have to act on it. You have choices. Think of the sensation as a suggestion and you can decide if it’s a good one to listen to or not.

Tap into your unconscious mind.
Your unconscious mind is active when you are doing activities automatically or in a trance or daydream state. So, if you have a question like ‘why is it difficult for me to quit smoking?’, write that at the top of a piece of paper. Then start brainstorming answers. Just write them down as they occur to you whether they seem right or not. Imagine your hand is writing them by itself with no input from your logical self, almost like doodling. You might feel silly at first, but let the creative part of your brain take over and keep writing words on the paper. Most of what you write will be irrelevant or something you know already but keep going until new ideas start to come out. Avoid giving up too soon because your intuition will tell you when you discover something important or something that will help you make the changes more easily.

Make friends with your unconscious mind.
It’s trying to be helpful even if the way it has chosen to do that isn’t working out for you Suppose you find it hard to save money. There is a reason for that, a part of you that either believes having money is bad, or that having little money is good. Using meditational techniques can be useful. Clear your mind as much as possible, and relax your body. Ask yourself questions and listen to the answers. Sometimes it helps to imagine having ‘another you’ to ask, a kind of ‘wise advisor’ version of yourself who has all the answers. Once you have them, negotiate a compromise. Maybe your unconscious believes that having too much money is selfish or greedy. You could ask if giving some of your increased earnings to charity would be acceptable.

Enlist the help of a hypnotherapist.
In hypnosis, your unconscious mind is much more accessible than usual, and it’s possible that information you didn’t know you had can be reached. This might include what is holding you back, and also what you can do about it. Properly worded hypnotic suggestions can also help the unconscious mind see new ways forward so that change is possible.

Remember that your unconscious mind might be behind the mental blocks you’re experiencing, but it’s not to blame.
It’s trying in the only way it knows to keep you safe. Unfortunately, it can’t do much logic and may have faulty data or information taken out of context from your past experiences. For example, just because one dog growls at you doesn’t mean they all will, but your unconscious mind may not realise this.

It’s important to know how to skillfully negotiate with your subconscious.
If you are experiencing a disagreement between what you know (in your logical mind) and what you feel (in your emotional, unconscious mind) what you feel nearly always wins. The trick to resolving the disagreement is to get what you know and what you feel working together because fighting with yourself is the biggest obstacle of all.

Can’t concentrate, attention span seems to be short and your either eating more or have gone off food altogether? What is going on?

We have never known anything like this to happen before so we are all adjusting to the changes we are making in our lives. Hopefully they will only be for the short term but we don’t really know how long that short term will be. Being alone or isolated can be hard. It’s a very sensible precaution to make sure you keep your distance and follow all of the advice that you are being given.
Sometime we don’t really understand some of the things that are happening. It’s quite clear and perhaps easy to understand why we may be suffering from stress and anxiety at this time. Not knowing what will happen can do that, although you can learn to let go of those worries…right now though let’s talk about why you feel anxious and why it is so hard to concentrate.

Lack of concentration and short attention span.

What is going on here? Well it is all about something called Hypervigilance. We have evolved to do so many amazing things in our lives but parts of our brain haven’t quite caught up with that intelligence and are still behaving as if they don’t really know what is going on.

So, take yourself back a few hundred years and imagine you are searching the forest for some food when you hear a noise in the distance. You look across and there is a huge bear in front of you and he has seen you…he is coming for you and you start to run away. You manage to lose him and make your way back to where you are settled in camp, but now you don’t know where he is. So now it is on your mind. Thinking about eating isn’t so important suddenly. More important is to look out for that bear, could he attack you and your family? If you see him in the distance you need to keep on looking out for him and making sure you are very careful and always on alert. You won’t be going back to normal until you know that the problem the bear is causing is over.

Ok, this is just an analogy and I’m sure you can see the correlation between the bear and the disease Covid 19. It’s perfectly normal to have a *flight* response and only to be expected. Right now it feels like we are all living in fear of that bear and the stress he is causing us. Having a short attention span and finding it hard to concentrate is a normal reaction.
Try and find other things to do. Distract yourself with jobs, gardening, art, music, exercise, writing, being daft! or meditating, there are thousands of ideas out there at the moment to help with this. Just bear in mind that looking after yourself and learning to let go will help. Breathe deep and enjoy this time of reflection.

This is a question that many new clients who are curious about hypnotherapy will ask me in my Sheffield Hypnotherapy Practice in S8. The truth is that we are all unique and so every person will experience hypnosis in their own way.

Hypnosis is simply a natural, pleasant, relaxed state in which you are more aware of your internal experience than the world around you.

For some it’s a pleasant ‘day-dreaming’ feeling, such as being absorbed in a book or a hobby, except what you are becoming really absorbed in is you! Others can feel more relaxed or sleepy than they expected, sometimes dramatically so although you are always in control and for others, it’s a more alert, switched on feeling. You can often find you move between lighter and deeper states throughout the hypnosis experience.

What’s important to know is that how you feel isn’t an indicator of how effective hypnosis is. Regardless of what it feels like for you – its working!

Contrary to popular belief results using hypnosis do not depend at all on ‘going deep’ and are not reserved only for those who can be deeply hypnotised. In clincial work, only a very light level of hypnosis (also called trance) is required for phenomenal results.

How hypnosis feels can change as sessions progress. If you like hypnosis is an ‘inner skill’ that you develop the more you use it, so whether you practice self-hypnosis at home or notice a change over several sessions with me, you are likely to find you become more deeply absorded in the inner wonder and wisdom of you each time you experience it.

Hypnosis is one of those experiences that is hard to explain until you experience it! So if you are curious, I would highly recommend you allow yourself the opportunity to enjoy it and discover for yourself its power and potential in your life. Hypnotherapy can truly be a life transforming experience.

Its really important of course that you seek who you choose to work with in hypnoisis wisely – Not all hypnotherapy is the same at all and WHO you choose to work with is a huge factor in your experience and your success.

If you are curious about how hypnotherapy can help you achieve your best health and wellbeing please contact me using the form on my site, my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/AbbeyHypnotherapy/ or call Beki on 07528637825

Happy New Year Everyone!
The New Year is a great time to make a fresh start. All the mistakes, disappointments and frustrations of the previous year are over, and it’s time for a clean slate. New Year’s Eve is traditionally the perfect time to let go of the past, and look to the future with optimism.

All too frequently however, resolutions seem to go by the wayside by mid-January. A combination of bad weather, getting back into working routines and existing in darkness after 4pm, can leave you feeling flat and uninspired, making it too easy to go back to old habits. These might concern weight, anxiety or alcohol issues or just self limiting beliefs. However, I am sure; if you follow these self hypnosis tips below you’ll make 2020 the year of success! (For additional helps for all conditions please call 07528637825)

Practice gratitude
Before making your resolutions, take a moment to reflect on the things that you already have. List everything that you are grateful for; loving family and friends, a healthy mind and body, the food on your table, the roof over your head. These are things that we all take for granted from time to time, but if you can’t appreciate the things that you have, satisfaction will be almost impossible to achieve. I recommend you do this daily.

Think about happiness
Focus on what would make you happier; on the areas of your life that you want to improve. What we focus on grows so whether you seek to improve your health, your weight, wealth, relationships, career, or reduce stress or anxiety, placing happiness at the centre of your resolutions, means you’ll not only feel happier but that you’ll more likely continue with them, as they won’t feel like a chore.

Create your resolutions
List your five top goals, and the timeframe to achieve them. For example, ‘I will be in a wonderful, loving relationship with my ideal partner by December 2020’; ‘I will find the perfect job within six months’; ‘I will reach my ideal, healthy weight by August’. Next, rewrite them in the present tense to turn them into affirmations.

‘I am in a wonderful, loving relationship.’

‘I am excited and fulfilled by the work I do.’

‘I enjoy exercising and keeping my body healthy.’

‘I am the perfect weight’

By repeating these hypnosis affirmations in the present tense, you are programming your mind to believe that they are a reality. Be specific and clear with your goals, to ensure that your affirmations are successful.

Create a ‘ladder of happiness’
Look at where you are now, and write down five steps that are necessary for you to reach your goals, starting at the bottom. For example, if your resolution is to further your career, your first step might be to:

1)ask for more responsibility

2) find out about training courses

3) make more business connections

4)change your career path, or start your own business.

Draw the ladder, and hang it somewhere that you will see it every day, perhaps near the kettle, or on the bathroom mirror. The steps will differ for each person and need to be broken right down into achievable tasks. Familiarise yourself with every step and really visualise your success. Mark the ladder in some way as you achieve each rung, and give yourself a pat on the back or small reward.

Aim for the sky
There’s nothing wrong with setting yourself a high target when it comes to New Year resolutions. The higher you aim, the more likely it is that you will see success, which is the surest way to help you feel inspired to continue on your journey. Think big, and reap the rewards!

*If anyone feels they need some motivation or confidence boosting to back up their plans please feel free to book a few appointments with me Becky

Anyone can do mindfulness practice. There are no barriers. It doesn’t matter how old you are, what your physical ability is, if you’re religious or not…

Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens. … When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we’re sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future.

Mindfulness decreases stress and psychological distress in adults and employees. It enhances mental health and functioning and increases emotion regulation and self-control.

Set aside some time. You don’t need a meditation cushion or bench, or any sort of special equipment to access your mindfulness skills—but you do need to set aside some time and space.

Observe the present moment as it is. The aim of mindfulness is not quieting the mind, or attempting to achieve a state of eternal calm. The goal is simple: we’re aiming to pay attention to the present moment, without judgement. Easier said than done, we know.

Let your judgments roll by. When we notice judgements arise during our practice, we can make a mental note of them, and let them pass.

Return to observing the present moment as it is. Our minds often get carried away in thought. That’s why mindfulness is the practice of returning, again and again, to the present moment.

The activities can be fitted into everyday life, the majority do not involve meditating and some may not have an obvious connection to what is commonly seen as mindfulness practice, but it is useful list nonetheless. You will find that instructions are short and easy to follow.

As a clinical Hypnotherapist in Sheffield, near Chesterfield ,abbeyhypnosissheffield.co.uk , with many years of experience, I am often asked whether hypnotherapy is better than counselling and it’s a difficult one to answer. Partly because I feel that I do incorporate counselling into my sessions anyway, particularly during the initial assessment, and partly because it depends on the person and what it is they require.

Some people who are going through a challenging time in their lives just want a listening ear whilst they vent and seek guidance, others have deeper, more persistent problems and accept that they need specialist help to get to the root of it and want a reassuring hand. Someone who believes in you and offers you a space of empathy, growth, empowerment and possibilities. Hypnotherapy can be used for all kinds of problems, not just weight loss, smoking and phobias but anxiety, confidence issues, bereavement and depression, amongst several others. Counselling can change the way you feel and help your understand your situation better. Hypnotherapy can also do that and bring about powerful changes in your life at the same time. With hypnosis you become a force which can overcome challenges.

If trying to decide which road to travel down, this may make it clearer for you:

Counselling gives you a safe space in which to talk and reflect whilst being given support, guidance and understanding. It is cheaper per session than hypnotherapy but you may require years of therapy in order to feel better. The other limitation to counselling is that you are not necessarily given the tools and support to make the necessary changes in your life.

Hypnotherapy is a process which is much more proactive and dynamic than counselling as hypnosis goes straight to the unconscious and subconscious part of the mind much more effectively than talking therapies and therefore produces faster results. Change can and does happen very quickly and successfully. While some people do experience profound change within one or two sessions, usually it tends to take around four to six sessions – depending on what they wish to achieve.

Comparisons

The length of the sessions for each are about the same, both are confidential and safe, both are usually done face to face but can be done over skype. At present, counselling is available on the NHS whereas Hypnotherapy currently isn’t but attitudes are changing and many doctors now recommend Hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy usually focuses on changing behaviours, while counselling and psychotherapy more often help with self-understanding and acceptance. Using both together, side by side is probably the best combination, breaking old habits through self awareness and developing the skills and confidence to create new, more adaptive behaviours.

I am a hypnotherapist in Sheffield, (abbeyhypnotherapy) and I regularly deal with depression both with my clients and also some of the acquaintances I know. Recently myself and my partner lost a friend whom we’d known for quite some time. He was consistently an upbeat , happy-go-lucky type of guy, put himself out for others, always the joker, daft as a brush, would do anything to get a smile but was equally laid back, genuine, easy going and seemingly relaxed.

This friend of ours also had an outwardly, enviable life! He was happily married to a devoted wife, who supported him in everything. In fact they were inseparable. He had 3 loving kids whom he adored and was proud of and who felt the same about him. He had a steady job and enjoyed playing in two ,both of which were successful. That would be living the dream for most of us.

However, this friend wasn’t living the dream internally and much to the shock of ourselves and all the music/friendship community he operated within, took his own life! No-one knew there had ever been a problem with depression, even his wife knew nothing until the night before. It has devastated his family of course but has also sent shock waves around the circle of people who knew him. No-one could believe it. He had kept it all to himself. His funeral was attended by hundreds, he was loved by so many.

I firmly believe that if this friend had opened up to others, sought counselling or hypnotherapy, talked about how he was feeling, he would still be here with us and would be starting his journey back to feeling whole again.

I will never know why my friend chose to end his life but there is a way out of the black hole and I urge anyone else feeling depressed in this same way to get in touch and receive help as soon as possible on 07528637825.

A Complete Solution
– The hypnotherapy treatment for depression classically combines addressing the sources of the depression, breaking negative thought cycles, regaining a sense of control and rebuilding self-worth and self-belief.

– Hypnotherapy can also be very useful for inducing relaxation, reducing distraction, maximising concentration, encouraging new thinking, amplifying experiences, and providing access to subconscious thought processes.

– Hypnotic regression
This is usually an excellent and very relaxed way to safely revisit traumatic or disturbing events that may lie at the heart of your troubles. With relaxed, closer attention (in trance), new insights and better perspectives may reveal themselves, that allow you to deal more thoroughly with what has happened and enable you to move on positively.

Call 07528637825 if you would like a chat or would like to make an appointment to help with any depression you may be currently dealing with .

Often, when the pressures of life are building up and we are rushing around trying to keep on top of it all we can become exhausted and our bodies start to release stress hormones which keep our bodies on high alert. Sometimes this creates sensations in our bodies which can feel uncomfortable and frightening, for example, our hearts begin to pound and we can find ourselves short of breath! Although this feels alarming it is actually a clever function in our bodies designed to help us meet a challenge! Instead of interpreting these sensations within as our body preparing to ‘freak out!’ and cause us damage we should be viewing them as our body becoming more energised!

These stress hormones are helpful to you, your pounding heart is preparing you for action, as you breathe faster, more oxygen gets to your brain. Another hormone which is released when stressed is Oxytocin, often known as the cuddle hormone, as it is released when you hug! It invests your brain with social instincts and makes you reach out more to others, crave physical contact and strengthens relationships by giving you more empathy and compassion. Therefore, in a way, it is urging you to seek support by telling someone when life is hard. Your body wants you to be surrounded by those that care! It also protects your cardiovascular system from the effects of stress, helping heart cells to regenerate and heal quickly from stress damage.

So the message here is: don’t fear stress, see it as your friend! Respond to your instincts by reaching out for help or even connect to others through helping them. There is evidence a plenty to demonstrate that the bodies of those people who spent large portions of their time helping others showed no harmful effects of stress compared to those who didn’t. When you see your stress responses as helpful, it transforms fear into courage!